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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. race — a contest
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. can — to be able to
  6. land — a country
  7. race — the arms race
  8. can — a tin
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. object — to protest
  13. race — humankind
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. can — a tin
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com