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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. march — music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chest — of your body
  9. branch — a division
  10. lie — to recline
  11. march — the month
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. date — the fruit
  14. craft — boats
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. march — the month
  17. chest — a box
  18. craft — a skill
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bass — low music
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chest — of your body
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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