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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. current — of water
  3. club — for golf
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. last — to go on
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. lie — to recline
  11. club — a group
  12. face — to confront
  13. branch — a division
  14. last — final
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. face — to point toward
  17. club — for dancing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. last — finally
  22. current — happening now
  23. face — part of the head
  24. current — electric

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