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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. field — farmland
  4. staff — employees
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — for sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. wax — to grow
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lie — to recline
  20. staff — a stick
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — a subject
  24. wax — for sculpting

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