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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tube — a container
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. field — for sport
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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