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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. branch — a division
  4. bore — to tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. swing — to play on
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. swing — music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — bread
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bore — to drill
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. swing — in golf
  21. tube — a container
  22. craft — boats
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. craft — a skill

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