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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mine — for digging
  3. drill — army training
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — to point toward
  6. prune — to trim
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. lie — to recline
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. face — to confront
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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