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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. prune — to trim
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mate — a partner
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mate — to breed
  13. shower — rain
  14. rest — a break
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. prune — to trim
  23. shower — to wash
  24. prune — the fruit

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