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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. pop — soda
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. tube — a container
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. branch — a division
  9. pop — music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. clip — to cut
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cell — in biology
  18. clip — for paper
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. clip — a video
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cell — in a prison

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