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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. foot — a measure
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. craft — boats
  8. field — a subject
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. march — the month
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wax — to grow
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lie — to recline
  21. march — the month
  22. tear — from crying
  23. march — music
  24. foot — the bottom

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