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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. land — to come down
  9. ground — a position
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. land — ground
  16. stem — to come from
  17. present — there
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. land — a country
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lie — to recline
  24. tear — from crying

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