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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cell — a phone
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bass — low music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chip — for betting
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. spring — of water
  14. chip — to eat
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bass — the fish
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bass — the instrument

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