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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. can — a tin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. spring — the season
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mark — a trace
  19. ground — a position
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mark — a grade
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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