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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 124 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. root — of a word
  3. field — a subject
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rest — a break
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bear — the animal
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. hand — in cards
  12. root — the cause
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wind — moving air
  17. field — farmland
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. vault — a safe
  21. hand — help
  22. rest — what's left
  23. root — of a plant
  24. field — for sport

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