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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mug — a face
  8. bank — for money
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mug — a cup
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bank — for money
  14. mug — to rob
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bank — of a river
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. branch — a division
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mine — an explosive

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