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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. tube — a container
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. club — for golf
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — a country
  12. club — for dancing
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wind — moving air
  22. club — a group
  23. land — ground
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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