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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. field — farmland
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. charge — a price
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. charge — electricity
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. field — a subject
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. sharp — clever
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lean — to bend
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. field — for sport
  21. lean — thin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. charge — in control

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