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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spring — the season
  4. file — a document
  5. spring — of water
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spring — a coil
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fine — high quality
  14. file — a tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fine — all right
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wound — an injury
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. wound — an injury

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