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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. branch — a division
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. face — to confront
  9. object — an aim
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. object — to protest
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. face — to point toward
  24. lash — an eyelash

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