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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. band — a ring
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. branch — a division
  11. band — a music group
  12. tube — a container
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. wind — moving air
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. firm — decided
  21. tube — the underground
  22. lie — to recline
  23. branch — of a bank
  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