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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pop — music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pop — soda
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. tube — a container
  24. wake — a trail

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