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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stem — to come from
  3. row — to paddle
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. row — a line
  6. lie — to recline
  7. march — the month
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. staff — employees
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — of the year
  13. march — the month
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. march — music
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. season — in sport

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