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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. face — to point toward
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fork — in a road
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. face — to confront
  14. pass — a permit
  15. branch — a division
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bat — the animal
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. plane — a tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wind — moving air

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