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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rock — music
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cap — a lid
  5. tube — a container
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chest — a box
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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