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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wake — a trail
  4. club — for golf
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. can — a tin
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. charge — a price
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. charge — electricity
  14. can — a tin
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. tear — from crying
  21. charge — in control
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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