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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. object — an aim
  7. content — happy
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. present — the time now
  11. object — a thing
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. content — the amount
  15. present — there
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wound — an injury
  21. march — music
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wound — an injury
  24. present — a gift

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