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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. present — a gift
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tear — from crying
  7. present — there
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rock — a stone
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rock — music
  23. present — the time now
  24. lie — to recline

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