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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mate — to breed
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. kick — in football
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. hand — help
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. hand — in cards
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. kick — with a leg

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