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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. spell — letters
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fine — high quality
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lie — to recline
  8. shower — rain
  9. capital — a city
  10. object — an aim
  11. capital — money
  12. object — a thing
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. spell — a short time
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. object — to protest
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. shower — to wash
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fine — all right
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spell — magic

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