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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. spell — magic
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. swing — music
  7. march — the month
  8. spring — of water
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — the season
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. swing — in golf
  24. calf — a young animal

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