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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. roll — a cake
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. roll — a list
  10. tear — to rip
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tear — from crying
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bulb — for light
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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