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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. land — ground
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bank — for money
  11. roll — a cake
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. roll — a list
  14. bank — for money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bank — of a river
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bear — the animal
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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