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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. charge — in control
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bound — certain
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. charge — a price
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bound — obliged
  21. drill — army training
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mark — a grade
  24. trunk — of a tree

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