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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cue — a hint
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bank — for money
  12. land — a country
  13. bank — for money
  14. land — to come down
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bank — of a river
  17. cue — for pool
  18. land — ground
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fine — all right

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