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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. season — of the year
  3. fine — all right
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rock — music
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rock — a stone
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fine — high quality

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