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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cap — of ice
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rash — a series
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. squash — the sport
  10. land — a country
  11. squash — to crush
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — the month
  14. spring — of water
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rash — hasty
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cap — a hat
  21. spring — the season
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. foot — a measure

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