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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 124 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chip — to eat
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bank — of a river
  6. row — a line
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bank — for money
  11. degree — temperature
  12. face — part of the head
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bank — for money
  15. degree — an amount
  16. track — a song
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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