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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 116 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wind — moving air
  4. game — a match
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. lie — to recline
  10. branch — a division
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stem — to come from

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