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

Word bank: mine · fan · row · rash · toast · trunk · tear · rest

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rash — a series
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. row — to paddle
  11. toast — bread
  12. mine — for digging
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. rest — a break
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rest — what's left
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. trunk — 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