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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. face — to confront
  2. wake — a trail
  3. file — a tool
  4. face — part of the head
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. saw — the tool
  9. file — a document
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. current — happening now
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a line of people
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  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