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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — a position
  8. court — of law
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. land — a country
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ground — crushed
  24. branch — a division

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