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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 116 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 · lie · fall · wound · prune · rash · mug · firm

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rash — a series
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mug — a face
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tear — from crying
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. prune — to trim
  15. firm — a company
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. firm — steady
  20. rash — hasty
  21. firm — decided
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. tear — to rip

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