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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fall — to drop
  5. object — to protest
  6. staff — employees
  7. tear — from crying
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lie — to recline
  11. staff — employees
  12. fall — the season
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tear — to rip
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. object — an aim
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. object — a thing
  21. snap — to click
  22. staff — a stick
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. degree — from a university

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