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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 124 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bank — for money
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lie — to recline
  8. scale — in music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bank — of a river
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bank — for money
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — a division
  24. scale — size or range

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