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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. branch — a division
  11. face — to confront
  12. kid — child
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kid — to tease

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