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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stand — to bear
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wound — an injury
  6. foot — a measure
  7. date — the fruit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. swing — music
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hand — in cards
  16. swing — in golf
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. hand — help
  24. date — on the calendar

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