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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cap — a lid
  5. staff — a stick
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. field — a subject
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. field — farmland
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cap — a hat
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bass — low music
  19. staff — employees
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. prune — to trim
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bass — the fish
  24. field — for sport

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