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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ground — crushed
  11. tube — the underground
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. squash — the sport
  14. ground — a position
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. key — the most important part
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. tube — a container
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. key — in music
  24. ground — the earth

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