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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — ground
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spell — magic
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. land — to come down
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. face — to confront
  21. land — a country
  22. face — to point toward
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bore — to drill

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