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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. last — finally
  3. tear — from crying
  4. craft — boats
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. band — a music group
  9. spring — the season
  10. last — to go on
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. last — final
  16. spring — a coil
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stem — to come from
  19. lie — to recline
  20. tear — from crying
  21. band — a ring
  22. craft — a skill
  23. fork — in a road
  24. spring — of water

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