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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. last — to go on
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. last — final
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. vault — a safe
  9. face — to point toward
  10. branch — a division
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. season — in sport
  14. last — finally
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wind — moving air
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. season — of the year
  24. wind — moving air

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