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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. face — to point toward
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. track — a song
  13. bat — the animal
  14. branch — a division
  15. wind — moving air
  16. race — a contest
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. race — the arms race
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — humankind
  22. track — a path
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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