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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. season — of the year
  4. kid — child
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. present — a gift
  7. season — in sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — to tease
  10. present — the time now
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. present — there
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. face — part of the head
  23. branch — of a tree
  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