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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 124 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. suit — to fit
  4. spring — of water
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spring — the season
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. suit — in cards
  10. degree — an amount
  11. suit — clothes
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lie — to recline
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fall — to drop
  19. degree — temperature
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — from a university
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fall — the season

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