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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bat — the animal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mate — to breed
  6. drill — army training
  7. mate — a partner
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. saw — the tool
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. saw — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. deal — to handle

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