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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rule — a law
  4. tube — a container
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rule — government
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. club — a group
  12. cap — a hat
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. tear — from crying
  15. club — for dancing
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. lean — thin
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. tear — to rip
  22. club — for golf
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cap — of ice

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