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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. march — music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. march — the month
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. field — a subject
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. march — the month
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a music group
  16. field — farmland
  17. lean — thin
  18. band — a ring
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. field — for sport
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wind — moving air

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