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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. scale — size or range
  4. can — a tin
  5. rash — a series
  6. stock — shares
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stock — goods
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. can — a tin
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. ground — the earth
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. ground — a position
  19. can — to be able to
  20. scale — in music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  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