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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 120 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: deal · lie · lean · tear · swing · sharp · dip · fine

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fine — high quality
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fine — all right
  12. lean — to bend
  13. swing — music
  14. sharp — clever
  15. tear — to rip
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lie — to recline
  21. dip — to sink
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. deal — to handle

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