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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 124 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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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 a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pit — a hole
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. season — in sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. prune — to trim
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  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