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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. face — part of the head
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. tear — to rip
  8. face — to point toward
  9. race — a contest
  10. craft — a skill
  11. face — to confront
  12. tear — from crying
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rash — a series
  16. race — the arms race
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. tear — from crying
  20. race — humankind
  21. craft — boats
  22. rash — hasty
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rash — on the skin

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