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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pit — a hole
  5. season — in sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rest — a break
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — in a race
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. season — of the year
  22. scale — in music
  23. staff — employees
  24. bear — the animal

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