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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. shower — rain
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. tear — to rip
  14. branch — a division
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cap — a hat
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lie — to recline
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. cap — of ice
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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