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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. object — a thing
  6. net — in sport
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bear — the animal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  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