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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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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. firm — steady
  5. fork — in a road
  6. content — happy
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. net — after costs
  11. tear — from crying
  12. content — the amount
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. net — for catching
  16. firm — a company
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. tear — to rip
  21. firm — decided
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. net — in sport

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