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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lie — to recline
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bark — to shout
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. root — the cause
  10. bulb — for light
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. root — of a plant
  17. row — a line
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. root — of a word
  24. row — to paddle

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