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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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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: tear · mate · ball · plane · trunk · chest · row · object

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chest — of your body
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. object — an aim
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. object — a thing
  12. mate — a partner
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. object — to protest
  16. row — a line
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. chest — a box
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ball — a dance
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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