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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. drill — the tool
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lie — to recline
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. toast — bread
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — a division
  24. scale — in music

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