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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. spring — the season
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. land — to come down
  8. spring — a coil
  9. squash — the sport
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. land — ground
  18. spring — of water
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. land — a country
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. hide — to keep secret

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