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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: tear · lie · bear · pitcher · pitch · spring · cabinet · drill

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. spring — of water
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spring — the season
  11. tear — to rip
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. tear — from crying
  22. drill — army training
  23. tear — from crying
  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