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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. root — the cause
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. board — a committee
  11. lie — to recline
  12. object — to protest
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. board — to get on
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. root — of a word
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mine — for digging
  24. root — of a plant

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