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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. face — to confront
  3. mug — a face
  4. fall — to drop
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mug — a cup
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mug — to rob
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. press — a publisher
  13. spell — letters
  14. face — part of the head
  15. branch — a division
  16. bat — the animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. press — to push
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. spell — a short time

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