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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 120 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. band — a ring
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. band — a music group
  15. season — in sport
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. season — of the year
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. sharp — clever
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. lie — to recline
  24. plane — an aircraft

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