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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. face — to point toward
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — to push
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stand — to bear
  13. sharp — clever
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. press — newspapers
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lie — to recline
  18. press — a publisher
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. face — to confront
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chair — a leader
  23. face — part of the head
  24. branch — a division

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