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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · net · tube · squash · fall · lie · tear · swing

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. tear — from crying
  4. net — in sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. swing — to play on
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. swing — music
  10. tube — a container
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. swing — in golf
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — the season
  19. net — after costs
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tear — to rip
  23. net — for catching
  24. tube — the underground

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