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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. band — a music group
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. band — a ring
  20. bear — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lie — an untruth

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