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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pop — music
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. land — ground
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pop — soda
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — a thing
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pop — to visit
  14. object — to protest
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. can — a tin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. foot — a measure
  24. object — an aim

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