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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 124 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — a partner
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. tear — from crying
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mark — a trace
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mark — a grade
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mate — to breed

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