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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. face — to point toward
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rash — a series
  7. face — to confront
  8. key — the most important part
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rash — hasty
  16. branch — a division
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wind — to turn a key

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