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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. face — to point toward
  3. current — happening now
  4. row — to paddle
  5. content — happy
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — a line
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. content — the amount
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. current — of water
  14. branch — a division
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fork — in a road
  20. current — electric
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. straw — a straw man

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