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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. march — music
  3. land — ground
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. court — for sport
  6. march — the month
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. march — the month
  10. land — a country
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mate — to breed
  14. court — of law
  15. land — to come down
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bulb — for light
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mate — a friend
  22. court — of a king
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bore — to tire

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