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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rash — a series
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. tear — from crying
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. can — a tin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. kick — in football
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. can — a tin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fan — to cool the air

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