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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. dip — to sink
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. branch — a division
  24. lie — an untruth

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