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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fork — in a road
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rest — a break
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bass — low music

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