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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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 a car
  3. scale — size or range
  4. land — a country
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. prune — to trim
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. deal — to handle
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. land — ground
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. land — to come down

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