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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. file — a document
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. file — a line of people
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spell — magic
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bass — low music
  24. rest — a break

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