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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tube — a container
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. march — the month
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rash — hasty
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rash — a series
  17. march — the month
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bore — to drill
  21. march — music
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  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