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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tear — to rip
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. tear — from crying
  8. staff — employees
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chest — a box
  13. staff — employees
  14. chest — of your body
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. chest — of your body
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. staff — a stick

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