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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 120 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. file — a line of people
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. tear — to rip
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying

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