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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. tear — to rip
  3. snap — to click
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bound — certain
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. tear — from crying
  13. degree — from a university
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tear — from crying
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bound — tied together
  18. degree — an amount
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lie — to recline
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. suit — in cards

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