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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. chest — of your body
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. face — to confront
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. lean — thin
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rush — hurry
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. face — to point toward
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. branch — a division
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bass — low music

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