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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. spring — a coil
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spring — of water
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. branch — a division
  10. spring — the season
  11. wind — moving air
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. plane — a tool
  14. face — to confront
  15. mug — a cup
  16. face — to point toward
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mug — a face
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — clever
  24. branch — of a tree

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