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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. row — a line
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bank — for money
  7. march — music
  8. court — of law
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — the month
  12. court — for sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bank — of a river
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. court — of a king
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bank — for money
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lie — to recline
  24. row — to paddle

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