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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. face — to confront
  3. current — of water
  4. mug — to rob
  5. current — electric
  6. mug — a face
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. current — happening now
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pop — to visit
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. branch — a division
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. march — the month
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pop — soda
  20. scale — in music
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. pop — music
  24. cold — the Cold War

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