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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mate — a friend
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. net — in sport
  6. last — final
  7. net — after costs
  8. tear — from crying
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. scale — in music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. last — to go on
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. net — for catching
  18. mate — a partner
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mate — to breed
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. last — finally

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