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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. season — in sport
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wake — a trail
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rash — a series
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. sharp — clever

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