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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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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: spell · mug · trunk · chip · land · mate · leaves · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mug — a cup
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. land — a country
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. spell — magic
  7. land — ground
  8. mug — a face
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mug — to rob
  11. chip — for betting
  12. land — to come down
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mate — a friend
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spell — letters
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. chip — to eat
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. spell — a short time

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