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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pit — a hole
  5. lean — thin
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cold — an illness
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pit — in a race
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wake — before a funeral

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