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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mate — a friend
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wind — moving air
  8. scale — in music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — a partner
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. march — the month
  15. tear — to rip
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tear — from crying
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. tear — from crying
  20. march — music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bear — the animal
  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