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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pit — in a race
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. march — the month
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. march — the month
  14. pass — a permit
  15. lean — thin
  16. march — music
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pit — a hole
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tube — a container

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