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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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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: pit · lie · wind · patient · tear · deal · shower · ruler

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. deal — to handle
  11. shower — to wash
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tear — from crying
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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