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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 had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — ground
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wake — a trail
  13. row — a line
  14. land — to come down
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. firm — a company
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bear — the animal
  21. land — a country
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. tear — from crying

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