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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. branch — a division
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. court — of a king
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cell — a phone
  7. swing — music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. row — to paddle
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. row — a line
  12. tear — from crying
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. swing — in golf
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. swing — to play on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. tear — to rip
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cell — in biology

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