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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. prune — to trim
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wind — moving air
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — of the year
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pit — a hole
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. can — a tin
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. season — in sport
  24. deal — to handle

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