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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 120 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. face — part of the head
  9. last — finally
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. prune — to trim
  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