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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rock — music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bore — to drill
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rock — a stone
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bore — to tire
  18. game — a match
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. charge — in control
  21. lean — thin
  22. charge — a price
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tube — a container

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