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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. object — a thing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — from crying
  7. current — electric
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chip — for betting
  12. season — in sport
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. season — of the year
  15. race — a contest
  16. fall — the season
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. race — humankind
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chip — to eat
  24. tear — to rip

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