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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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Word bank
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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: bear · rule · trunk · bay · season · spring · wound · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spring — a coil
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — a law
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. spring — the season
  9. season — of the year
  10. bear — the animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spring — of water
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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