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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lean — to bend
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mine — for digging
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mark — a trace
  13. lean — thin
  14. pitch — completely
  15. band — a music group
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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