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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. swing — music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. craft — boats
  10. ball — a great time
  11. branch — a division
  12. game — a match
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. swing — in golf
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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