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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. swing — to play on
  3. craft — boats
  4. foot — a measure
  5. chest — of your body
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. race — a contest
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. land — a country
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. swing — music
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chest — of your body
  16. craft — a skill
  17. land — to come down
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. chest — a box
  21. swing — in golf
  22. race — humankind
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. land — ground

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