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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 cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. net — in sport
  6. face — to point toward
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. band — a ring
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wind — moving air
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. net — for catching
  16. face — part of the head
  17. net — after costs
  18. branch — a division
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. face — to confront
  24. wind — moving air

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