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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. face — to confront
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. face — to point toward
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cap — of ice
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — to rip
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cap — a hat
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — an injury
  18. branch — a division
  19. charge — a price
  20. tear — from crying
  21. staff — employees
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. face — part of the head
  24. tear — from crying

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