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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. branch — a division
  4. club — a group
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lie — to recline
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. face — to point toward
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. face — part of the head
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. swing — music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. swing — in golf
  21. present — there
  22. face — to confront
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cabinet — ministers

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