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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 120 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. race — the arms race
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. march — the month
  8. race — humankind
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fall — the season
  11. shower — to wash
  12. march — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tear — to rip
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. race — a contest
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. shower — rain
  24. hide — to keep secret

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