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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. content — the amount
  4. club — for dancing
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wind — moving air
  7. content — happy
  8. club — for golf
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bank — for money
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. lean — to bend
  21. club — a group
  22. lean — thin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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