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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rock — music
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — the season
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fine — all right
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rock — a stone
  23. fall — to drop
  24. tear — from crying

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