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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chip — for betting
  3. lean — to bend
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. land — ground
  6. capital — a city
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bank — for money
  11. board — a committee
  12. bank — for money
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. land — a country
  17. board — to get on
  18. chip — to eat
  19. land — to come down
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. capital — money
  24. bank — of a river

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