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

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. tear — to rip
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rest — a break
  10. field — a subject
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. field — farmland
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. field — for sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. plane — a tool

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