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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rule — a law
  3. bear — the animal
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cell — in biology
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. last — finally
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cell — a phone
  13. last — final
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rule — government
  21. last — to go on
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. prune — to trim

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