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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 124 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. spring — the season
  3. saw — the tool
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rock — music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cap — of ice
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cap — a lid
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. spring — of water
  16. branch — a division
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cap — a hat
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rock — a stone
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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