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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. season — of the year
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. can — to be able to
  6. saw — the tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. fall — the season
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — steady
  13. wind — moving air
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. drill — a practice
  20. firm — decided
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. drill — army training
  24. fall — to drop

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