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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. present — the time now
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. tube — a container
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. present — there
  16. present — a gift
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wind — moving air
  22. staff — employees
  23. rule — a law
  24. fan — a supporter

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