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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: snap · lie · hand · branch · scale · hide · tube · lean

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. scale — size or range
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. lie — to recline
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. lean — thin
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lean — to bend
  23. tube — a container
  24. branch — a division

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