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

Word bank: wound · stick · cell · rest · nail · present · trunk · deal

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rest — what's left
  8. present — the time now
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cell — in biology
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. deal — to handle

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