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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — an aim
  4. can — a tin
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. tear — from crying
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. can — to be able to
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wind — moving air
  15. object — to protest
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ruler — for measuring

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