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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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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cell — a phone
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ground — a position
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cell — in biology
  9. branch — a division
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fine — high quality
  12. capital — money
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. present — there
  18. capital — a city
  19. fine — all right
  20. present — a gift
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. present — the time now
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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