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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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. saw — the tool
  3. face — to confront
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. saw — the tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ball — a great time
  8. branch — a division
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — the season
  11. face — to point toward
  12. club — for golf
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. file — a line of people
  16. club — for dancing
  17. file — a document
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. file — a tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. club — a group
  23. ball — a dance
  24. branch — of a bank

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