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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. face — part of the head
  3. hand — help
  4. vault — a safe
  5. face — to confront
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fine — high quality
  9. last — final
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. hand — in cards
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. last — to go on
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. last — finally
  20. face — to point toward
  21. dip — to sink
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fine — all right

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