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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: row · saw · cell · snap · bear · fine · lie · tear

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. lie — to recline
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. saw — the tool
  15. row — a line
  16. tear — from crying
  17. snap — to click
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cell — in biology
  21. saw — the tool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fine — all right
  24. row — a quarrel

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