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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. spring — a coil
  6. firm — a company
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. firm — decided
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. spring — the season
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. track — a path
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. firm — steady
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spring — of water
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. foot — a measure
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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