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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cap — a lid
  3. swing — to play on
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. swing — in golf
  6. spring — the season
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. land — a country
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spring — a coil
  12. land — to come down
  13. kick — in football
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. swing — music
  20. cap — a hat
  21. spring — of water
  22. land — ground
  23. cap — of ice
  24. temple — side of the head

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