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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. kick — in football
  5. land — to come down
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. land — a country
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. land — ground
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bear — the animal

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