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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rash — hasty
  3. face — to point toward
  4. staff — employees
  5. face — to confront
  6. staff — a stick
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bound — obliged
  12. branch — a division
  13. capital — a city
  14. scale — size or range
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — a series
  18. bound — certain
  19. face — part of the head
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. deal — to handle
  23. scale — in music
  24. capital — money

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