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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rule — a law
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. tear — from crying
  6. press — newspapers
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. plane — a tool
  13. press — to push
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spell — a short time
  16. vault — a safe
  17. press — a publisher
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rule — government
  24. spell — magic

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