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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: lie · mine · tear · bat · rash · pound · land · suit

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tear — from crying
  13. land — a country
  14. pound — a weight
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rash — a series
  20. land — ground
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lie — to recline
  24. land — to come down

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