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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: lie · tear · saw · band · rash · spell · net · foot

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. spell — a short time
  3. band — a music group
  4. spell — letters
  5. tear — from crying
  6. net — in sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rash — hasty
  10. net — after costs
  11. lie — to recline
  12. spell — magic
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. net — for catching
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. band — a ring
  24. saw — the tool

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