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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. spring — of water
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. land — ground
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spring — the season
  7. land — a country
  8. spring — a coil
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. content — happy
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. land — to come down
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. content — the amount
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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