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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · mouse · branch · stick · hide · lie

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lie — to recline
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. branch — a division
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lie — an untruth

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