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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. lie — to recline
  8. tube — a container
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. shower — rain
  13. craft — boats
  14. sharp — clever
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mine — for digging
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. shower — to wash
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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