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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · toast · roll · row · straw · bear · trunk · fine

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fine — all right
  5. row — a line
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. roll — a cake
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. fine — high quality
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. roll — a list
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. row — to paddle
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. toast — bread
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bear — the animal

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