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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. firm — decided
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lie — to recline
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. degree — temperature
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. firm — steady
  15. prune — to trim
  16. land — ground
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. land — to come down
  20. firm — a company
  21. land — a country
  22. fine — all right
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mine — for digging

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