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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. deal — to handle
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. chip — for betting
  24. lie — an untruth

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