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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. present — a gift
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. present — the time now
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. branch — a division
  15. present — there
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. row — a line
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — in music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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