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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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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: land · trunk · tube · pop · last · snap · bay · firm

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pop — soda
  5. last — finally
  6. land — to come down
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. firm — a company
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. last — final
  12. tube — a container
  13. firm — decided
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. snap — to click
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. last — to go on
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. firm — steady
  24. trunk — of a car

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