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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cap — of ice
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. hand — help
  6. tear — to rip
  7. hand — in cards
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. suit — in cards
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. suit — clothes
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cap — a lid
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. suit — to fit
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cap — a hat
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rock — music
  24. snap — to click

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