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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. spell — letters
  7. present — there
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. present — the time now
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. lie — to recline
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. present — a gift
  24. stand — for spectators

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