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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. foot — a measure
  7. ball — a dance
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mine — for digging
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. kick — in football

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