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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. march — the month
  7. fall — to drop
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fall — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — music
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. march — the month
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. tear — from crying
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. trunk — of a car

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