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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cap — a hat
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stand — to bear
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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