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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. face — part of the head
  5. capital — a city
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. shower — rain
  8. face — to confront
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pound — a weight
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. shower — to wash
  17. capital — money
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. face — to point toward
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. branch — a division

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