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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. face — to point toward
  3. board — a committee
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. face — to confront
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. tear — to rip
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. tear — from crying
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. branch — a division
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. season — of the year
  21. tear — from crying
  22. board — to get on
  23. season — in sport
  24. branch — of a tree

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