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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's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. staff — employees
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rule — government
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rule — a law
  9. rash — a series
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. staff — employees
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bulb — for light
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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