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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wound — an injury
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rush — hurry
  7. root — the cause
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. root — of a word
  13. race — humankind
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. branch — a division
  19. root — of a plant
  20. face — part of the head
  21. vault — a safe
  22. face — to point toward
  23. ball — a great time
  24. branch — of a tree

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