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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. lean — thin
  4. branch — a division
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spell — magic
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mate — a partner
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cell — a phone
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mate — to breed
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. spell — letters

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