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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. clip — to cut
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stand — to bear
  8. court — of law
  9. ground — the earth
  10. court — for sport
  11. clip — a video
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ground — a position
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. court — of a king
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mine — for digging
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ground — crushed

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