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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bore — to drill
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cell — a phone
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. branch — a division
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bark — to shout
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bore — to tire

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