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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: trunk · saw · spring · mine · board · stick · land · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. land — ground
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. board — to get on
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. saw — the tool
  10. land — a country
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — the tool
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. land — to come down
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. board — a committee
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mine — for digging

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