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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. squash — the sport
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. can — a tin
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. kick — in football
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bark — to shout
  24. can — a tin

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