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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rush — hurry
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. field — for sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. field — a subject
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. field — farmland
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bulb — of a plant

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