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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 · bank · perch · cold · pit · tear · field · lash

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bank — of a river
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. field — for sport
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bank — for money
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. field — a subject
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — farmland
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bank — for money
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. perch — the fish
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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