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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rash — hasty
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bore — to tire
  7. branch — a division
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rest — a break
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. field — for sport
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. field — a subject
  14. face — to confront
  15. field — farmland
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — a series

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