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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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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: pit · degree · lean · wound · club · lie · tear · staff

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. staff — a stick
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wound — an injury
  6. club — a group
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. degree — from a university
  15. club — for golf
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tear — from crying
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. lean — thin
  21. pit — a hole
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lie — to recline
  24. staff — employees

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