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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. suit — clothes
  3. pop — music
  4. shower — rain
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cold — not warm
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spring — the season
  13. pop — soda
  14. suit — to fit
  15. spring — a coil
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cold — an illness
  19. suit — in cards
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. shower — to wash
  23. spring — of water
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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