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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. last — to go on
  8. shower — rain
  9. cell — a phone
  10. land — ground
  11. last — final
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. land — to come down
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. last — finally
  23. land — a country
  24. rush — hurry

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