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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. track — to keep track
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — to protest
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pop — soda
  15. track — a path
  16. lean — thin
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bore — to tire
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bore — gave birth

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