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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. land — a country
  3. capital — money
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. object — an aim
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bore — to tire
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. perch — the fish
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. object — a thing
  15. capital — a city
  16. bore — to drill
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — to come down
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. land — ground
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pass — a permit
  24. trunk — of a tree

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