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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. band — a ring
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bank — for money
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ground — a position
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bank — for money
  14. band — a music group
  15. field — a subject
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bank — of a river
  18. field — farmland
  19. ground — the earth
  20. kick — in football
  21. ground — crushed
  22. chair — a leader
  23. field — for sport
  24. stem — to come from

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