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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. shower — to wash
  3. face — to confront
  4. object — a thing
  5. snap — to click
  6. shower — rain
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. object — an aim
  10. wind — moving air
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fine — high quality
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. branch — a division
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. object — to protest
  23. fine — all right
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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