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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. tube — the underground
  5. present — there
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. land — to come down
  10. track — a path
  11. bass — the fish
  12. track — to keep track
  13. land — ground
  14. present — the time now
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — low music
  18. present — a gift
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. track — a song
  21. tube — a container
  22. season — of the year
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. land — a country

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