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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fall — the season
  10. march — music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — in cards
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. current — happening now
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. current — of water
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. current — electric

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