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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mark — a grade
  7. face — to confront
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bore — to tire
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. toast — bread
  14. date — the fruit
  15. capital — a city
  16. dip — to sink
  17. branch — a division
  18. bore — to drill
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a trace
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. face — part of the head

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