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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. drill — army training
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. spring — the season
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. drill — a practice
  10. spring — of water
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — low music
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bass — the fish
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. drill — the tool
  22. land — a country
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. fine — all right

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