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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. saw — the tool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. land — ground
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. trunk — of a car

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