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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · pitcher · march · tear · current · squash · season · snap

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. march — music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. current — happening now
  8. season — of the year
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. current — electric
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. squash — to crush
  17. march — the month
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lie — to recline
  20. season — in sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. snap — to click
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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