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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. tear — to rip
  3. lean — to bend
  4. swing — to play on
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cue — a signal
  9. swing — music
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lie — to recline
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rock — a stone
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lean — thin
  19. swing — in golf
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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