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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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 — to rip
  2. can — a tin
  3. lie — to recline
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chip — to eat
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. can — a tin
  13. bass — low music
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chip — for betting
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  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