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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. land — ground
  7. can — a tin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pass — a permit
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wind — moving air
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — to come down
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tear — from crying
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. land — a country

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