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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spring — of water
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lie — to recline
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. spring — the season
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. spring — a coil
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rush — hurry

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