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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chip — to eat
  4. last — to go on
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mug — to rob
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — a cup
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bulb — for light
  12. game — wild animals
  13. last — final
  14. can — a tin
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chip — for betting
  18. can — to be able to
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. last — finally
  23. mug — a face
  24. can — a tin

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