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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. spell — magic
  6. root — the cause
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. hand — in cards
  12. face — to point toward
  13. firm — a company
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. branch — a division
  17. root — of a word
  18. face — to confront
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hand — help
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spell — letters
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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