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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. content — happy
  3. staff — employees
  4. bank — for money
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. deal — to handle
  17. season — of the year
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. content — the amount
  20. bank — of a river
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. season — in sport
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. season — to add flavour

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