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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — certain
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. tube — a container
  7. file — a tool
  8. bound — tied together
  9. court — for sport
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. court — of a king
  12. file — a document
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. court — of law
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. tube — the underground
  24. prune — to trim

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