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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. snap — to click
  3. wind — moving air
  4. present — a gift
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cold — not warm
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stand — to bear
  18. present — there
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. present — the time now
  24. cold — the Cold War

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