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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cue — for pool
  14. band — a music group
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cue — a signal
  18. band — a ring
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. staff — employees
  24. branch — a division

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