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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fall — to drop
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fall — the season
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — for sport

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