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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spring — the season
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. deal — to handle
  7. spring — of water
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rule — government
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rush — hurry
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. can — a tin
  24. rush — a thrill

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