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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. can — a tin
  4. band — a ring
  5. bass — the fish
  6. can — a tin
  7. tear — from crying
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rush — hurry
  10. tear — to rip
  11. band — a music group
  12. bass — low music
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lean — thin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tear — from crying
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. trunk — of a tree

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