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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. can — to be able to
  7. face — to confront
  8. can — a tin
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. track — to keep track
  11. club — a group
  12. branch — a division
  13. shower — rain
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. can — a tin
  16. track — a song
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. face — to point toward
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. track — a path
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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