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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. suit — clothes
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. suit — to fit
  6. staff — employees
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. sharp — clever
  10. roll — a list
  11. suit — in cards
  12. staff — a stick
  13. shower — rain
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. shower — to wash
  21. staff — employees
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. roll — a cake
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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