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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. object — an aim
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. object — a thing
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bass — low music
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mine — for digging
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — belonging to me

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