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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. club — for golf
  3. branch — a division
  4. row — to paddle
  5. lie — to recline
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. club — for dancing
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. row — a line
  17. chair — a leader
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. band — a ring
  20. mark — a trace
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. club — a group
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — to pay attention

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