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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lie — to recline
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. swing — to play on
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. swing — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wind — moving air
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bank — for money
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bank — for money
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bank — of a river
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lean — thin
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wind — to turn a key

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