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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. tube — a container
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. branch — a division
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chest — of your body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. face — part of the head
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. face — to confront
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chest — a box
  21. prune — to trim
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — the underground

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