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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. present — a gift
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. lie — to recline
  5. branch — a division
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. present — there
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — a series
  11. present — the time now
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rash — hasty
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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