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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bear — the animal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. craft — boats
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ball — a dance
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. last — to go on
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pitch — completely
  19. last — final
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. last — finally
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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