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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. face — to confront
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. branch — a division
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bound — certain
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bound — obliged
  22. track — a song
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stand — on your feet

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