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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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 point toward
  2. branch — a division
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rule — government
  7. face — part of the head
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rule — a law
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. press — newspapers
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. press — to push
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ball — a dance
  22. face — to confront
  23. perch — the fish
  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