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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rest — what's left
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bat — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. plane — a tool
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. nail — for a hammer

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