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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spring — the season
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. spring — of water
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rash — hasty
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rash — a series
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bore — to tire
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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