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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. season — of the year
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. land — to come down
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. spell — a short time
  8. land — a country
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wake — a trail
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. season — in sport
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. spell — letters
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. land — ground

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