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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — a tin
  4. band — a ring
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fall — the season
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. cap — a lid
  12. can — a tin
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. content — happy
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. band — a music group
  19. cap — a hat
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fall — to drop
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cap — of ice

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