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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: tear · rush · trunk · pitcher · plane · spring · track · lie

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spring — the season
  8. plane — a tool
  9. track — a song
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. tear — from crying
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. track — a path
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lie — to recline
  20. tear — to rip
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. lie — an untruth

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