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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cold — an illness
  4. current — electric
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spring — the season
  17. current — happening now
  18. spring — of water
  19. current — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stand — to bear

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