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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. object — to protest
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mark — a trace
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bear — the animal
  12. object — a thing
  13. cap — a hat
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. scale — in music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. object — an aim
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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