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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: spring · tear · wound · object · lean · current · lie · safe

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. tear — to rip
  3. object — to protest
  4. current — happening now
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wound — an injury
  8. current — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spring — of water
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — an aim
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. lean — thin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. object — a thing
  22. spring — the season
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. current — electric

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