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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pop — soda
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. branch — a division
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pop — to visit
  12. object — a thing
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pop — music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. object — an aim
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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