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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. spell — a short time
  8. object — to protest
  9. cap — of ice
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. spell — magic
  13. object — an aim
  14. cap — a lid
  15. land — a country
  16. spell — letters
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. object — a thing
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. cap — a hat
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bay — a horse colour

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