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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. game — wild animals
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. spring — a coil
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cell — a phone
  12. plane — a tool
  13. spring — of water
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spring — the season
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. cell — in biology

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