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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fine — all right
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. can — to be able to
  6. branch — a division
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cap — of ice
  10. can — a tin
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. can — a tin
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. tear — to rip
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kick — in football
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cap — a lid
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fine — high quality

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