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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spring — the season
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bore — to tire
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. lean — to bend
  20. tear — from crying
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  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