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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — in cards
  4. club — for dancing
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. branch — a division
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. face — to confront
  12. race — humankind
  13. fall — to drop
  14. staff — employees
  15. face — to point toward
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fall — to drop
  18. staff — a stick
  19. race — a contest
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fall — the season
  22. hand — help
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. hand — part of the 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