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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. net — after costs
  4. rash — a series
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — in sport
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. land — to come down
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. craft — a skill
  14. land — ground
  15. tube — the underground
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rash — hasty
  20. land — a country
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. craft — boats
  24. net — for catching

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