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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bat — the animal
  3. branch — a division
  4. present — the time now
  5. plane — a tool
  6. lie — to recline
  7. present — a gift
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. face — to point toward
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. face — to confront
  24. lie — an untruth

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