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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wake — a trail
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. spell — magic
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fall — to drop
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. deal — to handle
  16. land — ground
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. fall — the season
  22. spell — letters
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spell — a short time

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