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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 124 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 light ________________ burned out.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bulb — for light
  3. row — a line
  4. march — the month
  5. stand — to bear
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bulb — for light
  13. snap — to click
  14. row — to paddle
  15. branch — a division
  16. march — the month
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. march — music
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  24. face — to point toward

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