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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spring — the season
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. hand — help
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stock — shares
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stock — goods

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