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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 124 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: lie · board · scale · last · tube · net · mug · branch

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. net — for catching
  3. mug — to rob
  4. scale — in music
  5. board — a committee
  6. mug — a face
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. last — final
  11. board — to get on
  12. net — after costs
  13. mug — a cup
  14. scale — size or range
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. branch — a division
  18. last — to go on
  19. lie — to recline
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. net — in sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. last — finally

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