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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. tube — a container
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mine — for digging
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mug — to rob
  9. branch — a division
  10. face — part of the head
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mug — a cup
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fine — all right
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mug — a face
  18. face — to point toward
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. face — to confront
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lie — an untruth

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