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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 · bear · bulb · wake · saw · pit · fine · land

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. fine — high quality
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bulb — for light
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fine — all right
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — to come down

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