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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. content — the amount
  8. game — wild animals
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — rain
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. tear — to rip
  14. branch — a division
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lie — to recline
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. content — happy
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hide — animal skin

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