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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · season · cell · kick · game · lie · march · branch

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. tube — the underground
  3. march — the month
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. tube — a container
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. march — the month
  14. branch — a division
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. kick — in football
  18. season — in sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. season — of the year
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. march — music
  24. game — a match

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