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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: fall · tear · swing · deal · lie · sharp · trunk · bark

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fall — the season
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. tear — to rip
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. swing — music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. deal — to handle

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