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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — a match
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fall — the season
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. band — a music group
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. land — ground
  11. season — in sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. season — of the year
  17. land — to come down
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. saw — the tool
  20. land — a country
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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