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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. branch — a division
  3. bear — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. bat — the animal
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ground — crushed
  14. club — a group
  15. pop — soda
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pop — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. last — to go on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. face — to confront
  22. last — finally
  23. pop — to visit
  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