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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spring — of water
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pound — a weight
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. capital — a city
  14. spring — a coil
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. land — a country
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. spring — the season
  20. capital — money
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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