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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: lean · safe · tear · bat · cap · lie · track · press

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. press — to push
  3. track — a path
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. lean — to bend
  8. press — a publisher
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lean — thin
  15. track — a song
  16. press — newspapers
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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