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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. face — part of the head
  3. row — to paddle
  4. saw — the tool
  5. present — the time now
  6. race — the arms race
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. present — there
  9. face — to confront
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a ring
  13. race — humankind
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. row — a line
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. present — a gift
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. band — a music group
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. branch — a division
  23. race — a contest
  24. face — to point toward

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