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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. shower — rain
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bear — the animal
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. board — a committee
  6. shower — to wash
  7. land — ground
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mine — for digging
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. land — to come down
  15. board — to get on
  16. branch — a division
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. land — a country
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. deal — to handle
  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