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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fall — to drop
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bound — obliged
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fall — to drop
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. vault — a safe
  22. fall — the season
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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