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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 120 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mate — to breed
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — farmland
  9. mate — a friend
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cell — a phone
  12. field — for sport
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. deal — to handle
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. field — a subject
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mate — a partner
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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