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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. press — a publisher
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. branch — a division
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rash — hasty
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. press — to push
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bat — the animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bulb — for light

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