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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. tear — from crying
  5. drill — army training
  6. mark — a grade
  7. drill — a practice
  8. tear — from crying
  9. content — the amount
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bass — low music
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. content — happy
  15. bass — the fish
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. spring — of water
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rush — a thrill

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