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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. present — there
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. last — to go on
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. race — a contest
  12. last — final
  13. shower — to wash
  14. race — the arms race
  15. last — finally
  16. branch — a division
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. race — humankind
  19. present — a gift
  20. bear — the animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. present — the time now
  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