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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — a path
  4. spell — letters
  5. shower — rain
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spell — magic
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — music
  10. face — part of the head
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spell — a short time
  17. face — to confront
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. track — a song
  23. face — to point toward
  24. track — to keep track

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