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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. sharp — clever
  6. land — to come down
  7. capital — money
  8. bank — for money
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. foot — a measure
  13. capital — a city
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bank — of a river
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rock — music
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bank — for money
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. capital — a big letter

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