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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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Word bank
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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — the tool
  6. march — music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. march — the month
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. tear — from crying
  17. net — after costs
  18. lie — to recline
  19. net — in sport
  20. tear — to rip
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. net — for catching

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