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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pass — a permit
  3. ground — crushed
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. spring — of water
  6. ground — the earth
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. staff — employees
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. staff — a stick
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. staff — employees
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. ground — a position
  24. cell — in a prison

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