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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. branch — a division
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wake — a trail
  18. content — happy
  19. mark — a trace
  20. content — the amount
  21. ball — a dance
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stem — to come from
  24. lie — to recline

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