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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fall — to drop
  4. toast — bread
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. present — a gift
  8. face — part of the head
  9. present — the time now
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fall — the season
  12. face — to confront
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. band — a music group
  19. fall — to drop
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. branch — a division
  22. face — to point toward
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. band — a ring

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