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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. shower — rain
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wind — moving air
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — for digging
  22. shower — to wash
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stand — to bear

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