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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 120 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ground — a position
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. branch — a division
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. ground — crushed

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