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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bear — the animal
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cold — not warm
  24. ground — a position

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