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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chair — a leader
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. face — to confront
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. drill — the tool
  18. face — to point toward
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. face — part of the head
  23. drill — army training
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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