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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. spring — of water
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mine — for digging
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cold — not warm
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. suit — to fit
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. object — to protest
  24. suit — clothes

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