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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bore — to drill
  7. branch — a division
  8. bore — to tire
  9. band — a ring
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. band — a music group
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pitch — a sports field

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