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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: pop · mine · pass · land · trunk · season · saw · bulb

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pop — soda
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. land — to come down
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. land — a country
  14. bulb — for light
  15. season — of the year
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — ground
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pop — music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. season — in sport

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