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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bat — the animal
  6. band — a ring
  7. row — a line
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. band — a music group
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bound — tied together
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bound — obliged
  18. stem — to come from
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chip — for betting
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bound — certain

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