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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ball — a great time
  6. branch — a division
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. foot — a measure
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rash — a series
  12. can — a tin
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. clip — a video
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. clip — to cut
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. can — to be able to

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