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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. staff — employees
  3. branch — a division
  4. land — to come down
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cap — of ice
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rest — what's left
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — ground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cap — a lid
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. land — a country
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rest — a break
  24. mine — belonging to me

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