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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. prune — to trim
  4. staff — a stick
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. key — for a lock
  7. staff — employees
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. last — to go on
  10. prune — to trim
  11. key — the most important part
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. last — finally
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. staff — employees
  19. last — final
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. key — in music
  24. capital — a city

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