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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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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: tear · craft · spell · straw · dip · chair · lie · fall

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. spell — magic
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fall — to drop
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. spell — letters
  11. fall — the season
  12. craft — a skill
  13. chair — a leader
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spell — a short time
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. craft — boats
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. dip — to sink
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lie — to recline
  24. dip — a sauce

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