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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: chip · fall · tear · safe · rest · trunk · cap · prune

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fall — the season
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. chip — to eat
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cap — a hat
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fall — to drop
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cap — a lid
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fall — to drop
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rest — a break
  24. cap — of ice

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