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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: tear · lean · present · cold · calf · trunk · fine · cue

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cue — a signal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. lean — to bend
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lean — thin
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fine — all right
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fine — high quality
  15. present — a gift
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cold — not warm
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cue — for pool
  21. present — the time now
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. lean — to rest against

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