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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 had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. capital — money
  3. can — to be able to
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. can — a tin
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. row — a line
  12. rock — a stone
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. can — a tin
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. snap — to click
  19. capital — a city
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. rock — music
  24. row — a quarrel

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