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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. firm — steady
  3. face — part of the head
  4. snap — to click
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. face — to confront
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. branch — a division
  16. firm — decided
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. face — to point toward
  20. firm — a company
  21. chest — a box
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pass — a permit

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