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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mug — to rob
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — to eat
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. tear — to rip
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pass — to spend time

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