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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pop — soda
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pop — to visit
  8. branch — a division
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lie — to recline
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — help
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bowl — to roll

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