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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 124 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pop — soda
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cell — in biology
  9. branch — a division
  10. lie — to recline
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. kid — child
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. object — to protest
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. lie — an untruth

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