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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 124 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bat — the animal
  9. field — farmland
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. field — a subject
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. field — for sport
  24. jam — a tight spot

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