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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. face — to confront
  4. spring — the season
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. face — part of the head
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spring — of water
  15. branch — a division
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. face — to point toward
  19. row — a line
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. spring — a coil
  24. foot — a measure

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