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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: court · cabinet · bear · lie · cold · bay · squash · branch

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. squash — to crush
  8. branch — a division
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. branch — of a bank
  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