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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. shower — rain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. vault — a safe
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. dip — to sink
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bound — tied together
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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