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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rock — a stone
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rock — music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. net — for catching
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. net — in sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. snap — to click
  17. shower — to wash
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. spring — of water
  20. shower — rain
  21. net — after costs
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. spring — the season
  24. ball — a great time

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