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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ground — the earth
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bank — of a river
  10. prune — to trim
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. ground — crushed
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. ground — a position
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bank — for money
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bank — for money

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