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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spring — of water
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. band — a ring
  11. staff — employees
  12. band — a music group
  13. spring — the season
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. staff — a stick
  18. band — a rubber band

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