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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. content — the amount
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. present — the time now
  6. content — happy
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. present — a gift
  12. season — in sport
  13. track — a song
  14. lean — to bend
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. present — there
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lean — thin
  24. season — of the year

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