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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. land — ground
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. land — to come down
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. firm — steady
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wax — to grow
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cell — in biology
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — a country
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chip — to eat

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