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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spring — of water
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wound — an injury
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. land — to come down
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. spring — the season
  15. wound — an injury
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — ground
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. land — a country
  24. spring — a coil

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