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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wax — to grow
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. capital — a city
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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