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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. perch — the fish
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. kid — child
  6. face — part of the head
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bass — low music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. chip — to eat
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. kid — to tease

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