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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. kid — to tease
  3. deal — to handle
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. face — part of the head
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — a division
  9. kid — child
  10. face — to confront
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the sport
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. lie — to recline
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. arm — part of the body
  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