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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. chest — a box
  7. club — a group
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. shower — rain
  11. rush — hurry
  12. club — for golf
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. club — for dancing
  20. chest — of your body
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. march — the month
  24. lash — to lash out

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