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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cap — a hat
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. key — in music
  7. vault — a safe
  8. tear — from crying
  9. key — for a lock
  10. tear — from crying
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. face — to confront
  14. key — the most important part
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. tear — to rip
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. branch — a division
  23. press — to push
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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