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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wound — an injury
  13. current — of water
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. current — happening now
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. current — electric
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — to rip
  24. 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