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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lie — to recline
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rash — hasty
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rash — a series
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. prune — to trim
  15. drill — a practice
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. drill — army training
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. drill — the tool
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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