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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 116 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: scale · tear · straw · ground · snap · trunk · fine · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. ground — crushed
  3. scale — in music
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. ground — the earth
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fine — high quality
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. ground — a position
  14. scale — size or range
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fine — all right
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tear — to rip
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. snap — to click

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