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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bore — to drill
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. branch — a division
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. row — to paddle
  14. tear — from crying
  15. row — a line
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. tear — from crying
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  24. tear — to rip

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