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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cold — not warm
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cold — an illness
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. content — the amount
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. board — a committee
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. snap — to click
  18. content — happy
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. board — to get on
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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