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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spring — the season
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. dip — to sink
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lean — thin
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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