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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. dip — to sink
  4. spring — the season
  5. bank — for money
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lean — thin
  13. pit — in a race
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bank — for money
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bank — of a river
  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