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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bank — for money
  6. capital — money
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bank — for money
  9. snap — to click
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bank — of a river
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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