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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. spell — letters
  5. band — a ring
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pass — a permit
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. spell — magic
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pop — music
  24. band — a music group

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