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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. capital — money
  5. swing — to play on
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. swing — in golf
  13. scale — in music
  14. branch — a division
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. capital — a city
  19. swing — music
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. vault — a safe
  22. snap — to click
  23. scale — for weighing
  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