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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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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: track · bay · prune · foot · tear · straw · plane · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — to trim
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. track — a song
  9. lie — to recline
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. tear — to rip
  13. foot — a measure
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. track — a path
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. track — to keep track
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. plane — a tool
  24. straw — a straw man

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