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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bank — for money
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. shower — rain
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pop — soda
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pit — in a race
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bank — for money
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pop — music
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chest — a box
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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