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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rash — a series
  3. fall — the season
  4. stock — shares
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. net — in sport
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rash — hasty
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. fall — to drop
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. stock — goods
  22. mark — a trace
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mark — a grade

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