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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: field · rash · ruler · pit · trunk · tear · snap · bear

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. tear — from crying
  5. field — farmland
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rash — a series
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tear — to rip
  16. field — for sport
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bear — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. snap — to click
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. tear — from crying

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