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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. content — happy
  10. suit — in cards
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. last — finally
  15. tube — the underground
  16. field — for sport
  17. content — the amount
  18. field — a subject
  19. suit — to fit
  20. tube — a container
  21. suit — clothes
  22. field — farmland
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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