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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. lie — to recline
  3. branch — a division
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. object — to protest
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. object — a thing
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. object — an aim
  16. ball — a great time
  17. land — a country
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. land — to come down
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cap — a hat
  24. lie — an untruth

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