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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wake — a trail
  3. season — in sport
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. file — a document
  12. rock — a stone
  13. season — of the year
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rock — music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. file — a tool
  24. face — to confront

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