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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. lean — thin
  2. present — there
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rock — music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. present — the time now
  11. band — a music group
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. present — a gift
  16. rock — a stone
  17. band — a ring
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tear — to rip
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. row — a line
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lean — to bend
  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