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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bank — of a river
  3. capital — money
  4. dip — to sink
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wake — a trail
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — the tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. saw — the tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. capital — a city
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bank — for money
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bank — for money
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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