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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bear — the animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — final
  7. spring — of water
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. land — to come down
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — ground
  19. last — finally
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. last — to go on

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