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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mug — to rob
  5. object — a thing
  6. net — after costs
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mug — a cup
  9. row — a line
  10. rash — hasty
  11. net — in sport
  12. object — to protest
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. object — an aim
  17. net — for catching
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rash — a series
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mug — a face
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bulb — for light

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