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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · tear · pop · land · staff · row · bear · trunk

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. row — a line
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. land — a country
  7. pop — music
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. land — ground
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bear — the animal
  18. land — to come down
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. staff — employees
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pop — soda
  24. bear — the animal

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