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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. spring — of water
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stock — shares
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — a coil
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. spring — the season
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tear — to rip
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stock — goods
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cue — for pool
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cue — a hint
  24. straw — a straw man

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