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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. land — ground
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. tear — from crying
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spring — the season
  7. lie — to recline
  8. spring — of water
  9. court — of law
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. tear — from crying
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. net — after costs
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. tear — to rip
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spring — a coil
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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