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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. shower — rain
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. pop — soda
  6. last — finally
  7. bark — to shout
  8. clip — for paper
  9. last — to go on
  10. bank — for money
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. shower — to wash
  13. deal — to handle
  14. last — final
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. clip — a video
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. clip — to cut

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