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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lean — to bend
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. swing — to play on
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. tear — from crying
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lean — thin
  22. board — to get on
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. board — a committee

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