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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · safe · trunk · tear · kid · rule

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rule — government
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. kid — child
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rule — a law
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. last — finally
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. tear — from crying
  17. last — to go on
  18. kid — to tease

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