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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — magic
  5. pass — a permit
  6. lie — to recline
  7. board — to get on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spell — letters
  10. capital — a city
  11. tear — from crying
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. tear — to rip
  14. spell — a short time
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. capital — money
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. board — a committee
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tear — from crying

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