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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. face — to point toward
  6. firm — a company
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. field — for sport
  12. face — to confront
  13. field — farmland
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. spell — letters
  17. branch — a division
  18. field — a subject
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — steady
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. face — part of the head
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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