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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. face — to confront
  5. branch — a division
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. suit — clothes
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. toast — bread
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. suit — to fit
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. plane — a tool
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pound — a weight
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. suit — in cards
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wind — moving air

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