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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cue — a signal
  4. spell — letters
  5. lean — thin
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cue — a hint
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cue — for pool
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chip — for betting
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wake — a trail
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. nail — for a hammer

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