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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cap — of ice
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. face — to confront
  9. cap — a lid
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — the season
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pit — a hole
  20. face — to point toward
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — part of the head

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