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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. field — a subject
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. field — farmland
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. field — for sport
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stock — goods
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. capital — money
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. stock — shares
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. capital — a city
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. capital — a big letter

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