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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. object — an aim
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mate — a partner
  6. object — a thing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. tear — to rip
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. object — to protest
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mate — a friend
  24. prune — to trim

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