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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. object — a thing
  6. mug — a face
  7. object — to protest
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. clip — a video
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. spring — of water
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mug — a cup
  19. spring — the season
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. spring — a coil
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mug — to rob

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