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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. face — to point toward
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. race — humankind
  10. charge — a price
  11. race — the arms race
  12. charge — electricity
  13. face — to confront
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. hand — help
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. hand — in cards
  18. dip — to sink
  19. charge — in control
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mark — a trace
  22. race — a contest
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mark — a grade

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