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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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Word bank
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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: fan · saw · tear · stick · scale · lie · fork · bound

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bound — certain
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. tear — from crying
  6. scale — in music
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. tear — to rip
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lie — to recline
  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