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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. kick — in football
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. shower — rain
  9. spring — the season
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spring — of water
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bass — low music
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mug — a face
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mug — a cup

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