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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chest — a box
  3. lie — to recline
  4. drill — a practice
  5. tear — to rip
  6. drill — the tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. perch — the fish
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mate — a partner
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. drill — army training
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stem — to come from

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