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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 · plane · shower · toast · cell · tear · hide · key

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. key — for a lock
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. key — in music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. shower — rain
  11. cell — a phone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. plane — a tool
  18. toast — bread
  19. key — the most important part
  20. tear — to rip
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lie — to recline
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. shower — to wash

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