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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. track — a path
  3. spring — of water
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. track — a song
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spring — the season
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. face — to confront
  17. plane — a tool
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. face — to point toward
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wound — an injury

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