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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. tear — from crying
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tear — to rip
  8. kick — in football
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. tear — from crying
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. dip — to sink
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. leaves — of a tree

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