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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cold — an illness
  3. race — a contest
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to bend
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bound — certain
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. race — the arms race
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. row — a line
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. race — humankind
  19. lean — thin
  20. bound — tied together
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cold — not warm
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cabinet — ministers

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