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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. game — a match
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bulb — for light
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bulb — for light
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. field — farmland
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — in music
  19. field — a subject
  20. lean — thin
  21. field — for sport
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. scale — for weighing

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