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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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Word bank
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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fine — all right
  4. field — a subject
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. scale — in music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — for sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. field — farmland
  15. scale — size or range
  16. face — to confront
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. object — a thing
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. object — an aim
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. object — to protest

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