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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. lie — to recline
  3. hand — help
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bank — for money
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bank — of a river
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chest — a box
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bank — for money
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lie — an untruth

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