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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spring — a coil
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ground — a position
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. drill — army training
  16. bat — the animal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. spring — the season
  20. drill — the tool
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. row — a line
  24. spring — of water

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