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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hand — in cards
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hand — help
  6. tear — from crying
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cue — a hint
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. scale — size or range
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. scale — in music
  14. foot — a measure
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cue — for pool
  20. tear — to rip
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. kick — in football
  24. hand — part of the body

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