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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lie — to recline
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bat — the animal
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bulb — for light
  7. swing — to play on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. swing — music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bulb — for light

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