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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: craft · pitch · kid · bark · lie · fall · land · present

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. kid — child
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fall — to drop
  7. present — a gift
  8. pitch — completely
  9. land — ground
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. craft — a skill
  12. land — a country
  13. fall — the season
  14. land — to come down
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. present — there
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. craft — boats
  21. bark — to shout
  22. present — the time now
  23. kid — to tease
  24. lie — to recline

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