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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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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: wave · bay · branch · cell · field · lie · chest · lean

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — a division
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cell — a phone
  9. field — a subject
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — thin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — in biology
  18. field — for sport
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — farmland
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cell — in a prison

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