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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · lie · bank · stick · tear · land · tube · mate

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. land — to come down
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bank — of a river
  7. tube — the underground
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — ground
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bank — for money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — a country
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  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