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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. band — a ring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. saw — the tool
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. content — happy
  9. tear — to rip
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. content — the amount
  13. band — a music group
  14. hand — help
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. arm — part of the body

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