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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 116 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. tube — the underground
  9. swing — music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — in golf
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. prune — to trim
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. swing — to play on
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wound — an injury

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