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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: tear · bay · current · cold · lie · spring · hand · safe

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. current — of water
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. spring — a coil
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spring — the season
  9. current — happening now
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cold — an illness
  13. current — electric
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. lie — to recline
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — of water
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. cold — the Cold War

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