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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 120 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: rule · tear · trunk · pass · mate · tube · leaves · hide

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. tube — a container
  8. tear — from crying
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rule — government
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tear — to rip
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hide — animal skin

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