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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pop — soda
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. tube — a container
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pop — music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fall — the season
  22. tube — the underground
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bulb — of a plant

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