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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · face · cell · straw · leaves · fine · bark · mine

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fine — high quality
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fine — all right
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cell — a phone
  17. face — to point toward
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. face — to confront
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. mine — an explosive

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