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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: firm · march · mate · land · trunk · rock · bear · capital

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. land — a country
  3. firm — decided
  4. capital — a city
  5. bear — the animal
  6. capital — money
  7. march — the month
  8. land — ground
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rock — music
  13. march — the month
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mate — a partner
  20. firm — a company
  21. march — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. land — to come down
  24. trunk — of a tree

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