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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. can — a tin
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. stand — to bear
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. chest — of your body
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. can — to be able to
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. scale — in music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. can — a tin

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