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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: last · kick · leaves · tear · scale · hide · lie · net

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lie — to recline
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. scale — in music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kick — in football
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tear — to rip
  16. last — finally
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — to go on
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. last — final
  21. net — after costs
  22. scale — size or range
  23. net — for catching
  24. leaves — of a tree

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