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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. squash — to crush
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. tear — to rip
  7. capital — a city
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. capital — money
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. squash — the sport
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — to grow
  23. perch — the fish
  24. tear — from crying

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