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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rest — what's left
  3. craft — a skill
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. can — a tin
  7. rest — a break
  8. cold — not warm
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cold — an illness
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pitch — completely
  18. craft — boats
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. can — to be able to

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