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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 116 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. tear — from crying
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tear — from crying
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wax — to grow
  15. tear — to rip
  16. branch — a division
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pitch — completely
  24. straw — dry grass

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