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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. foot — a measure
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. tear — from crying
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cold — an illness
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mug — a face
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. lean — thin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mug — a cup

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