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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 116 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rock — a stone
  11. object — a thing
  12. scale — in music
  13. object — to protest
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rock — music
  16. dip — to sink
  17. kid — child
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. kid — to tease
  20. scale — size or range
  21. object — an aim
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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