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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. file — a document
  3. lie — to recline
  4. capital — a city
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — money
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. branch — a division
  9. race — a contest
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lean — to bend
  13. race — humankind
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fall — the season
  16. lean — thin
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. file — a line of people
  20. race — the arms race
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. file — a tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. nail — on a finger

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