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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. rash — a series
  2. march — the month
  3. land — ground
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. land — a country
  6. march — music
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rash — hasty
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. march — the month
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. ground — a position
  22. land — to come down
  23. bear — the animal
  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