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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: sharp · dip · branch · straw · can · lie · cell · bear

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. can — to be able to
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bear — the animal
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. branch — a division
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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