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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. prune — to trim
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lie — to recline
  11. tear — to rip
  12. squash — to crush
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. face — to point toward
  18. squash — the sport
  19. face — to confront
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. lie — an untruth

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