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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. mine — for digging
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cell — a phone
  10. tear — to rip
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lie — to recline
  22. vault — a safe
  23. branch — a division
  24. cell — in biology

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