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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lean — to bend
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. spring — the season
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. field — farmland
  10. board — a committee
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. spell — magic
  13. spring — of water
  14. spell — letters
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. board — to get on
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. arm — a part of something

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