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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rock — a stone
  4. cold — an illness
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bank — for money
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cold — not warm
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bank — of a river
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rock — music
  22. degree — from a university
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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