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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 120 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wind — moving air
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. clip — for paper
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. cue — for pool
  17. clip — to cut
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. clip — a video
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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