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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: toast · branch · swing · kid · lie · rock · bear · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. fall — the season
  7. rock — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. branch — a division
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bear — the animal
  16. toast — bread
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rock — a stone
  24. kid — child

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