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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chest — a box
  9. game — a match
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rock — music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wind — moving air
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tear — to rip
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rush — hurry

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