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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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rock — music
  8. branch — a division
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bear — the animal
  11. vault — a safe
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rock — a stone
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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