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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tear — from crying
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cell — a phone
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — the tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rule — a law
  22. drill — army training
  23. rule — government
  24. press — to push

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