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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bass — low music
  4. cold — an illness
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bass — the fish
  7. face — to confront
  8. can — to be able to
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. can — a tin
  14. spring — of water
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. suit — clothes
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — the season
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. face — part of the head

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