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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. lean — thin
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mug — a face
  8. row — to paddle
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tear — to rip
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. can — a tin
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. can — to be able to
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bowl — a football final

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