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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bass — the fish
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. track — to keep track
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — to come down
  10. roll — a cake
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lie — to recline
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. track — a song
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bass — low music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. land — a country
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. roll — a list
  23. track — a path
  24. land — ground

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