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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: pitcher · saw · cold · branch · face · deal · stem · present

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cold — not warm
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. present — the time now
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. present — a gift
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. branch — a division
  22. present — there
  23. stem — to come from
  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