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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. face — to point toward
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. face — to confront
  7. wound — an injury
  8. face — part of the head
  9. game — a match
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. game — wild animals
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. fork — in a road
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fall — the season
  21. wound — an injury
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fall — to drop
  24. branch — a division

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