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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. drill — the tool
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. drill — army training
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mug — a face
  11. kid — child
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. tear — to rip
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. kick — in football
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. prune — to trim
  22. drill — a practice
  23. kid — to tease
  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