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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. file — a tool
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. tube — a container
  9. capital — a city
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. capital — money
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. key — in music
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. file — a document
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tube — the underground

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