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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cue — a signal
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. band — a music group
  8. craft — a skill
  9. band — a ring
  10. land — to come down
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. land — ground
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. craft — boats
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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