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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mate — a friend
  4. scale — in music
  5. can — a tin
  6. drill — army training
  7. can — a tin
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stock — goods
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mate — a partner
  14. can — to be able to
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mate — to breed
  17. scale — size or range
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — the tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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