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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. branch — a division
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — a subject
  5. bat — the animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. present — a gift
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. field — farmland
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. present — there
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — for sport
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fine — all right
  24. branch — of a bank

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