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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. spring — the season
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spring — a coil
  10. race — a contest
  11. spring — of water
  12. race — the arms race
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. race — humankind
  17. game — wild animals
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. game — a match

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