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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: key · stand · chest · club · toast · squash · branch · face

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — for golf
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. face — to confront
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. squash — the sport
  7. toast — bread
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. key — the most important part
  10. club — for dancing
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. chest — a box
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. branch — a division
  15. squash — to crush
  16. key — in music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. key — for a lock
  19. club — a group
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stand — to bear
  22. face — to point toward
  23. chest — of your body
  24. face — part of the head

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