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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 120 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. file — a tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. season — of the year
  8. staff — employees
  9. pit — in a race
  10. file — a line of people
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. staff — employees
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. staff — a stick
  17. branch — a division
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pit — a hole
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. squash — the sport
  23. file — a document
  24. squash — to crush

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