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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. tear — from crying
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cap — of ice
  9. craft — a skill
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rock — music
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cold — not warm
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cap — a hat
  23. craft — boats
  24. ruler — for measuring

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