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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lean — thin
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pit — a hole
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pit — in a race
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. root — of a word
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chest — a box
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. root — the cause
  23. ball — a dance
  24. trunk — of a tree

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