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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fall — the season
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cold — an illness
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cold — not warm
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tear — from crying
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mouse — the 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