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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stock — goods
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. spring — the season
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wound — an injury
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. stock — shares
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. saw — the tool
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. squash — to crush
  24. saw — the tool

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