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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. face — part of the head
  3. row — to paddle
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. spring — a coil
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cell — a phone
  13. face — to confront
  14. cell — in biology
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spring — of water
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. spring — the season
  24. cell — in a prison

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