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

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. drill — army training
  5. face — to confront
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. branch — a division
  10. drill — the tool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. land — ground
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — farmland
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. field — a subject
  18. deal — to handle
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. field — for sport
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. drill — a practice
  24. land — a country

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