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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 124 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mate — to breed
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cap — a hat
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. face — to confront
  9. mate — a partner
  10. branch — a division
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stand — to bear
  24. chest — of your body

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