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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rule — a law
  7. lean — thin
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rule — government
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. field — a subject
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cue — a hint
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ball — a dance
  23. field — for sport
  24. bear — to put up with

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