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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wind — moving air
  7. scale — size or range
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. land — to come down
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. land — ground
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. scale — in music
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. land — a country
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bulb — for light
  24. prune — to trim

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