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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: spring · leaves · trunk · snap · bear · arm · spell · mine

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. spell — letters
  4. mine — for digging
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. snap — to click
  7. bear — the animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. spring — a coil
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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