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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 · plane · rock · rash · game · lie · bound · pitch

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bound — certain
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rash — a series
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rash — hasty
  23. plane — a tool
  24. lie — to recline

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