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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. chest — a box
  3. spring — a coil
  4. season — in sport
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chest — of your body
  14. spring — the season
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. season — of the year
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. spring — of water
  23. kick — in football
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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