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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. face — to confront
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pit — a hole
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. craft — a skill
  9. game — wild animals
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. face — part of the head
  14. game — a match
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pit — in a race
  18. craft — boats
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. branch — a division
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stem — to come from
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stem — of a plant

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