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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cap — a lid
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. kick — in football
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. stock — shares
  14. cap — a hat
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. stock — goods
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. cap — of ice
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stock — a soup base

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