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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. spring — the season
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rest — a break
  8. spring — of water
  9. content — the amount
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rock — music
  13. snap — to click
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mug — a cup
  16. rock — a stone
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rest — what's left
  19. branch — a division
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rest — what's left
  22. content — happy
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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