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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. branch — a division
  12. charge — a price
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. charge — electricity
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. band — a ring
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. charge — in control
  22. band — a music group
  23. tear — from crying
  24. content — happy

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