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

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rock — music
  3. lean — thin
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — what's left

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