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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lean — thin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spell — a short time
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spell — letters
  13. lean — to bend
  14. land — a country
  15. rock — music
  16. spell — magic
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. land — ground
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. land — to come down

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