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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rest — a break
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cell — in biology
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rest — what's left
  11. game — a match
  12. ball — a great time
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cell — a phone
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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