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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 124 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hand — in cards
  4. object — to protest
  5. spell — letters
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tube — a container
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hand — help
  13. lie — to recline
  14. date — the fruit
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. object — an aim
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. object — a thing
  23. spell — magic
  24. root — of a word

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