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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bear — the animal
  4. file — a tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. lie — to recline
  7. scale — size or range
  8. spring — of water
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. band — a ring
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. band — a music group
  23. file — a document
  24. lean — thin

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