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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: cap · board · rock · tear · cell · trunk · deal · spring

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spring — the season
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cell — a phone
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. board — a committee
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rock — a stone
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rock — music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. tear — from crying
  19. board — to get on
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. spring — of water
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cap — a hat

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