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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. mine — for digging
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. land — to come down
  23. bulb — for light
  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