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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: swing · tear · lie · rule · present · trunk · season · stand

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rule — a law
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rule — government
  5. present — there
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tear — to rip
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. tear — from crying
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. present — the time now
  16. season — in sport
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. present — a gift
  21. stand — to bear
  22. swing — music
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. season — to add flavour

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