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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 116 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 help me carry this box?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. spring — a coil
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — the season
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. can — a tin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mate — a partner
  20. spring — of water
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mate — to breed

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