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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rash — hasty
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. tear — to rip
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. face — to point toward
  17. tear — from crying
  18. face — to confront

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