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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. branch — a division
  3. wound — an injury
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. face — to confront
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. can — to be able to
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. face — to point toward
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. face — part of the head
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. can — a tin
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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