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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. field — farmland
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. key — in music
  9. field — for sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bat — the animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. hand — in cards
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. key — the most important part
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rule — government
  23. hand — help
  24. field — a subject

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