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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. scale — in music
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. spring — the season
  8. can — a tin
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. can — to be able to
  12. scale — size or range
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. spring — a coil
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mark — a trace
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mark — a grade
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. spring — of water

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