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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. net — in sport
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — in sport
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. season — of the year
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. net — for catching
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. tube — a container
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — after costs
  24. trunk — of a car

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