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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bass — low music
  11. vault — a safe
  12. season — of the year
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bass — the fish
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chest — of your body
  19. season — in sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. chest — a box
  24. lie — to recline

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