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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: pit · hand · lie · ball · spring · rash · tear · jam

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. tear — from crying
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. spring — the season
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ball — a dance
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pit — a hole
  12. spring — of water
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spring — a coil
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ball — a great time
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pit — in a race
  21. hand — help
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rash — a series

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