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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bound — certain
  4. firm — decided
  5. tear — from crying
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. bound — obliged
  11. land — to come down
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. firm — a company
  17. tear — to rip
  18. land — ground
  19. face — to confront
  20. land — a country
  21. face — part of the head
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pitch — completely
  24. face — to point toward

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