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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. shower — rain
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. current — of water
  8. date — the fruit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fall — to drop
  15. face — to confront
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitch — completely
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. content — the amount
  20. current — electric
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fall — to drop
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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