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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cap — of ice
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. pass — a permit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tear — from crying
  18. can — to be able to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. vault — a safe
  23. tear — from crying
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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