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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. board — a committee
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wound — an injury
  9. scale — in music
  10. board — to get on
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wound — an injury
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. scale — size or range

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