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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rest — what's left
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rest — a break
  19. rash — a series
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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