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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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mug — a face
  3. face — part of the head
  4. branch — a division
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. drill — the tool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mug — a cup
  13. face — to confront
  14. shower — to wash
  15. face — to point toward
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bulb — for light
  18. shower — rain
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. drill — a practice
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bat — for baseball

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