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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. swing — music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rest — what's left
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. swing — in golf
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. swing — to play on
  20. spring — of water
  21. rest — a break
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. deal — to handle

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