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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wind — moving air
  6. saw — the tool
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. lie — to recline
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. snap — to click
  17. spring — a coil
  18. deal — to handle
  19. spring — the season
  20. wind — moving air
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — of water
  23. staff — employees
  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