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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. object — to protest
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. object — an aim
  7. branch — a division
  8. bound — obliged
  9. band — a music group
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bound — certain
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. row — to paddle
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. bound — tied together
  18. row — a line
  19. object — a thing
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. band — a ring
  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