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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 120 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. season — of the year
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. snap — to click
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. march — the month
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. march — music
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. march — the month
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to succeed

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