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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bore — to tire
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rash — a series
  10. object — a thing
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rash — hasty
  14. object — to protest
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. snap — to click
  17. bore — to drill
  18. object — an aim
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. hand — help

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