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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. field — a subject
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. object — a thing
  8. toast — bread
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. object — to protest
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. file — a tool
  14. object — an aim
  15. field — farmland
  16. pound — a weight
  17. field — for sport
  18. file — a document
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. file — a line of people

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