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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. hand — help
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. last — final
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. lie — to recline
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kid — child
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. last — to go on
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. last — finally
  24. current — electric

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