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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fall — to drop
  5. content — happy
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. swing — in golf
  10. dip — to sink
  11. tear — from crying
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. tear — from crying
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. swing — to play on
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. swing — music
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. tear — to rip

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