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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pop — music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. net — in sport
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pop — to visit
  11. spring — the season
  12. pop — soda
  13. toast — bread
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. net — for catching
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spring — of water
  22. net — after costs
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. dip — to sink

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