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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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — shares
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stock — goods
  15. row — a line
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cap — of ice
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rest — a break

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