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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rash — a series
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rash — hasty
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mate — a friend
  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