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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. tear — from crying
  3. squash — to crush
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tear — to rip
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. lie — to recline
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. squash — the sport
  22. last — finally
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. squash — the vegetable

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