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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. key — in music
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. roll — a list
  6. spring — of water
  7. roll — a cake
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. season — of the year
  11. spring — a coil
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — the season
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stand — to bear
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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