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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bank — of a river
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. row — to paddle
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ground — a position
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ground — crushed
  12. game — a match
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bank — for money
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lie — to recline
  19. row — a line
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bank — for money
  23. game — wild animals
  24. row — a quarrel

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