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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. firm — a company
  5. bat — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fine — high quality
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. clip — a video
  10. fine — all right
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. firm — decided
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. clip — for paper
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. firm — steady
  24. plane — an aircraft

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