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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. spring — of water
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spring — the season
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. spring — a coil
  13. staff — a stick
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bank — for money
  16. staff — employees
  17. kick — in football
  18. club — for dancing
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. staff — employees
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bank — for money
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bank — of a river

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