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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fall — to drop
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ball — a great time
  23. band — a ring
  24. lie — an untruth

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