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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ground — a position
  6. land — a country
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mine — for digging
  9. land — ground
  10. rash — hasty
  11. land — to come down
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. club — for golf
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. spring — of water
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. suit — in cards
  20. club — for dancing
  21. suit — clothes
  22. spring — the season
  23. rash — a series
  24. club — a group

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