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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fine — high quality
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. key — the most important part
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bear — the animal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. field — a subject
  13. key — in music
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fine — all right
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. key — for a lock
  20. squash — the sport
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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