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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. face — to confront
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pop — music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. face — part of the head
  14. branch — a division
  15. squash — to crush
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. face — to point toward
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pop — soda
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pop — to visit

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