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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rash — hasty
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rash — a series
  5. cell — in biology
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — a trail
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cell — a phone
  21. kick — in football
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mouse — the animal

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