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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. branch — a division
  4. staff — a stick
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lie — to recline
  11. staff — employees
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. dip — to sink
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. scale — in music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cell — in biology
  24. staff — employees

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