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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. kick — in football
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mine — for digging

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