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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cold — not warm
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bat — the animal
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lie — to recline

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