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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. band — a ring
  6. cell — a phone
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. staff — employees
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. kid — to tease
  17. staff — a stick
  18. kid — child

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