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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cap — a lid
  3. branch — a division
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mate — a partner
  6. field — a subject
  7. mug — a face
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cap — of ice
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mate — to breed
  13. field — farmland
  14. cap — a hat
  15. ground — a position
  16. face — part of the head
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mug — a cup
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mate — a friend
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. field — for sport

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