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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · fall · face · sharp · drill · fine · branch · cap

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. face — to confront
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mug — to rob
  6. face — to point toward
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cap — a hat
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fall — to drop
  11. drill — army training
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cap — of ice
  14. branch — a division
  15. face — part of the head
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. fall — to drop
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fall — the season

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