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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. court — for sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. face — to point toward
  5. file — a line of people
  6. court — of law
  7. scale — in music
  8. current — of water
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. object — to protest
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. object — a thing
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — of a king
  17. branch — a division
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. object — an aim
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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