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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bore — to tire
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mine — for digging
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bore — to drill
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bore — gave birth

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