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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. branch — a division
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mine — for digging
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. vault — a safe
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. lie — to recline

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