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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. land — a country
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. land — to come down
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. land — ground
  13. bulb — for light
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. club — for dancing
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. club — for golf
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. drill — army training
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bat — the animal

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