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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. ball — a great time
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ball — a dance
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lie — to recline
  22. tear — to rip
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wind — to turn a key

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