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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. 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. last — finally
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rule — government
  5. bark — to shout
  6. last — to go on
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rule — a law
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. last — final
  24. 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