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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. staff — employees
  3. shower — to wash
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bound — certain
  6. track — a song
  7. scale — size or range
  8. present — the time now
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. track — to keep track
  11. staff — a stick
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. scale — in music
  16. staff — employees
  17. bound — tied together
  18. present — there
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. present — a gift
  22. shower — rain
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bound — obliged

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