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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pop — music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. branch — a division
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pop — soda
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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