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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: fan · nail · leaves · bound · last · trunk · chip · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bound — tied together
  3. last — to go on
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. land — ground
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chip — to eat
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bound — certain
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. chip — for betting
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. land — to come down
  24. chip — in a computer

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