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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 bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. face — to confront
  3. degree — an amount
  4. branch — a division
  5. pit — a hole
  6. last — to go on
  7. track — a song
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pit — in a race
  14. track — a path
  15. last — finally
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — from a university
  19. last — final
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. degree — temperature
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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