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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. tear — to rip
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. current — happening now
  10. stock — goods
  11. wound — an injury
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. saw — the tool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. current — of water
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. current — electric

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