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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. key — for a lock
  7. object — a thing
  8. key — the most important part
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bank — for money
  12. season — of the year
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. club — a group
  17. key — in music
  18. object — an aim
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. object — to protest
  22. bank — for money
  23. net — for catching
  24. bank — of a river

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