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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wind — moving air
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. plane — a tool
  11. field — farmland
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. field — for sport
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. field — a subject

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