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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rest — what's left
  4. face — part of the head
  5. row — a line
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rest — a break
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. scale — in music
  22. mate — a partner
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rest — what's left

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