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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mate — a partner
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rash — hasty
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. race — humankind
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rash — a series
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. spring — the season
  13. mate — to breed
  14. race — a contest
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. staff — employees
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mate — a friend
  21. spring — of water
  22. staff — a stick
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rash — on the skin

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