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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wound — an injury
  4. land — to come down
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bank — for money
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. prune — to trim
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. land — a country
  20. prune — to trim
  21. can — a tin
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. can — a tin

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