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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. face — part of the head
  3. shower — to wash
  4. branch — a division
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. shower — rain
  8. face — to confront
  9. stem — to come from
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. face — to point toward
  12. present — a gift
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. present — there
  24. squash — to crush

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