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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rash — hasty
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bear — the animal
  5. band — a ring
  6. rest — a break
  7. band — a music group
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. net — for catching
  13. rest — what's left
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. net — in sport
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. lean — thin
  22. rash — a series
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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