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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. branch — a division
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tube — a container
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hand — help
  13. key — the most important part
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. key — in music
  16. bass — low music
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pound — a weight
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bass — the instrument

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