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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. face — to point toward
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bear — the animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. face — to confront
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. spell — magic
  24. mate — to breed

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