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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bark — to shout
  6. file — a document
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bulb — for light
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bank — for money
  19. plane — a tool
  20. file — a tool
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bank — for money
  23. bulb — for light
  24. file — a line of people

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