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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. can — to be able to
  4. vault — a safe
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lie — to recline
  7. branch — a division
  8. shower — rain
  9. bass — low music
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bass — the fish
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fall — the season
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. can — a tin
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fall — to drop
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fall — to drop
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. shower — to wash

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