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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · stick · trunk · wind · pitcher · leaves · arm · toast

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mate — a partner
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. toast — bread
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. arm — a part of something

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