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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chest — a box
  9. rush — hurry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tear — from crying
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. mate — a partner
  18. lie — to recline
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. chest — of your body
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. tear — to rip

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