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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. shower — to wash
  9. swing — music
  10. capital — a city
  11. staff — employees
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. swing — to play on
  15. capital — money
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. swing — in golf
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wake — a trail
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. rest — what's left

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