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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. last — final
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wound — an injury
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. last — finally
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rash — a series
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bear — the animal
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. fine — all right
  18. last — to go on
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. branch — a division
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. current — happening now
  23. bear — the animal
  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