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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. track — a song
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. scale — in music
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. lie — to recline
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. march — the month
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. deal — to handle
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. can — a tin
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wind — moving air
  24. branch — a division

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