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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wake — a trail
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. fall — the season
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. capital — money
  10. can — a tin
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. capital — a city
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rash — hasty
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rash — a series
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. nail — for a hammer

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