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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rash — a series
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. branch — a division
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. band — a music group
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. prune — to trim
  20. band — a ring
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rash — hasty
  24. branch — of a bank

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