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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. fall — the season
  3. squash — the sport
  4. branch — a division
  5. squash — to crush
  6. field — for sport
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. field — farmland
  13. fall — to drop
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. face — part of the head
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pop — soda
  19. tube — the underground
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. tube — a container
  22. pop — music
  23. face — to confront
  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