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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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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — to breed
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mine — for digging
  24. straw — a straw man

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