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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. spell — letters
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. spell — a short time
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. field — a subject
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. tube — a container
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stock — shares
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tube — the underground
  14. spell — magic
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. band — a music group
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a ring

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