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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cap — a lid
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. land — a country
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. dip — to sink
  12. land — to come down
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. land — ground
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cabinet — ministers

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