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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. charge — a price
  6. face — to confront
  7. ground — crushed
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. charge — in control
  15. bat — the animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. saw — the tool
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. charge — electricity
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. ground — the earth
  24. vault — a safe

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