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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. face — to confront
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. lie — to recline
  5. kick — in football
  6. face — to point toward
  7. track — a song
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. track — to keep track
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bark — to shout
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. branch — a division
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. face — part of the head
  23. track — a path
  24. bark — of a tree

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