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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. field — a subject
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. staff — a stick
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. firm — a company
  9. field — for sport
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wound — an injury
  12. field — farmland
  13. branch — a division
  14. firm — steady
  15. staff — employees
  16. firm — decided
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cap — a lid
  19. staff — employees
  20. cap — of ice
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cap — a hat

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