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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. face — part of the head
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cold — not warm
  5. branch — a division
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cold — an illness
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. can — a tin
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. can — a tin
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. saw — the tool
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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