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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. spell — letters
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cold — not warm
  5. root — of a word
  6. bear — the animal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cold — an illness
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bank — for money
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spell — magic
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bank — for money
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. spell — a short time
  23. root — the cause
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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