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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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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: sharp · mine · pass · rock · chest · trunk · bear · spring

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mine — belonging to me

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