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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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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cold — an illness
  9. spring — the season
  10. mug — a cup
  11. can — a tin
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mug — a face
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. spring — of water
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mine — an explosive

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