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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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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: lie · band · pitch · wake · wound · rock · bay · tear

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rock — a stone
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rock — music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. lie — to recline
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wake — a trail

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