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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: roll · tear · cell · suit · hide · lie · squash · pitcher

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. roll — a list
  2. suit — in cards
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. roll — a cake
  7. suit — clothes
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tear — from crying
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. suit — to fit
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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