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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 116 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spring — a coil
  4. suit — to fit
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. suit — clothes
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. suit — in cards
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cold — not warm
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. tube — a container
  15. spring — the season
  16. degree — an amount
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. can — a tin
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. can — a tin
  24. spring — of water

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