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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 116 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. tear — to rip
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. present — a gift
  10. lean — thin
  11. capital — a city
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. present — there
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stock — shares
  20. present — the time now
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. dip — to sink
  23. tear — from crying
  24. capital — money

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