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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 116 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  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. bound — obliged
  3. tube — a container
  4. deal — to handle
  5. shower — rain
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stem — to come from
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. lie — to recline
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — certain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. file — a document
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pass — a permit
  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