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

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mate — to breed
  21. branch — a division
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. lie — to recline

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