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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. content — happy
  3. track — a song
  4. wind — moving air
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pop — to visit
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lie — to recline
  9. land — to come down
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pop — soda
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. land — ground
  15. pop — music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. branch — a division
  19. content — the amount
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. land — a country
  24. track — a path

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