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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. chest — of your body
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. hand — in cards
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. hand — help
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. shower — rain
  17. chest — a box
  18. face — to confront
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rock — music
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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