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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. land — to come down
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. land — ground
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. object — an aim
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. object — to protest
  16. bear — the animal
  17. object — a thing
  18. land — a country
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. branch — a division
  23. face — part of the head
  24. deal — a big deal

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