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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. shower — rain
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wound — an injury
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. tear — to rip
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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