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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 116 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. mine — for digging
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. hand — help
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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