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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. shower — rain
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. face — to confront
  7. spring — a coil
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. face — to point toward
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. last — to go on
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. last — finally
  15. shower — to wash
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. spring — the season
  18. season — in sport
  19. dip — to sink
  20. season — of the year
  21. last — final
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spring — of water

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