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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. staff — employees
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — a stick
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tube — a container
  7. branch — a division
  8. date — the fruit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. face — to confront
  11. tube — the underground
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. face — part of the head
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. staff — employees
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. saw — the tool
  23. perch — the fish
  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