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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. club — for dancing
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. last — to go on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — for golf
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. spring — a coil
  13. content — the amount
  14. club — a group
  15. spring — of water
  16. last — finally
  17. spring — the season
  18. last — final
  19. cue — for pool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — a signal

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