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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mug — to rob
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cell — in biology
  6. vault — a safe
  7. clip — for paper
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mug — a cup
  10. face — to confront
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. face — to point toward
  20. clip — a video
  21. mug — a face
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. clip — to cut
  24. branch — of a bank

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