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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. present — the time now
  5. press — a publisher
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. present — there
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lean — to bend
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. press — to push
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. press — newspapers
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. present — a gift
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lean — thin
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. trunk — of a car

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