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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. file — a tool
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mark — a grade
  10. drill — a practice
  11. can — to be able to
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. can — a tin
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. can — a tin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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