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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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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: stem · lie · rush · spell · hand · sharp · scale · tear

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. hand — in cards
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hand — help
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rush — hurry
  11. tear — to rip
  12. scale — in music
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. spell — letters
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spell — a short time
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spell — magic
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rush — a thrill

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