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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. present — there
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. board — a committee
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. board — to get on
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bat — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. present — a gift
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. present — the time now
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rush — hurry

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