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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. clip — for paper
  3. face — part of the head
  4. clip — to cut
  5. track — a path
  6. face — to confront
  7. clip — a video
  8. key — in music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rock — music
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bound — obliged
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bound — certain
  18. track — a song
  19. bound — tied together
  20. branch — a division
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. track — to keep track

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