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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. chest — a box
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. march — music
  10. tube — a container
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. chest — of your body
  14. race — humankind
  15. march — the month
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. chest — of your body
  19. march — the month
  20. tube — the underground
  21. roll — a list
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. roll — a cake
  24. trunk — of a car

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