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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: trunk · key · lie · dip · mouse · firm · tear · bat

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. firm — a company
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. firm — steady
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. key — in music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. firm — decided
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. dip — to sink

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