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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spring — of water
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. swing — to play on
  9. spring — the season
  10. chest — of your body
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — the amount
  15. swing — music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. chest — a box
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. chest — of your body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. swing — in golf

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