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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. face — to confront
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. prune — to trim
  9. face — part of the head
  10. tear — to rip
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mine — for digging
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. tear — from crying
  19. toast — bread
  20. face — to point toward
  21. craft — boats
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tear — from crying

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