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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mark — a trace
  5. saw — the tool
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cell — in biology
  10. face — to point toward
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mark — a grade
  14. hand — in cards
  15. march — the month
  16. branch — a division
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hand — help
  19. march — music
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. face — part of the head
  24. hand — part of the body

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