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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fine — all right
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fine — high quality
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — in music
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tear — to rip
  23. scale — size or range
  24. land — to come down

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