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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. band — a music group
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wind — moving air
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. band — a ring
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of a car

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