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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spell — magic
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. object — an aim
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. spell — letters
  12. object — to protest
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ground — a position
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lie — to recline
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ground — the earth
  23. tear — to rip
  24. object — a thing

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