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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: mine · racket · land · drill · trunk · bowl · leaves · staff

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. staff — employees
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. drill — army training
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. land — a country
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. staff — a stick
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. land — ground
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. drill — the tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. staff — employees
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. drill — a practice
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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