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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: arm · wind · lie · tear · fine · season · rash · bark

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fine — all right
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. season — of the year
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. season — in sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. bark — to shout
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fine — high quality
  19. tear — from crying
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. lie — to recline
  24. arm — part of the body

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