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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spell — a short time
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spell — magic
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bound — tied together
  15. branch — a division
  16. object — a thing
  17. bound — certain
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spell — letters
  21. bound — obliged
  22. row — to paddle
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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