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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 124 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. roll — a cake
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. clip — for paper
  11. firm — steady
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tear — to rip
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. clip — a video
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. fork — in a road
  23. roll — a list
  24. tear — from crying

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