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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 116 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — in sport
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. row — a line
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bear — the animal
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cell — in biology
  14. file — a tool
  15. cell — a phone
  16. season — of the year
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. file — a document
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tube — a container
  24. file — a line of people

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