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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. face — to confront
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cap — of ice
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cap — a hat
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. board — to get on
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. board — a committee
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wind — moving air
  23. kick — in football
  24. cap — a lid

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