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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. net — for catching
  8. lie — to recline
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. root — the cause
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. root — of a plant
  22. lean — to bend
  23. root — of a word
  24. shower — rain

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