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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: bear · lie · bay · pitch · face · march · row · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. face — to confront
  3. pitch — completely
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. branch — a division
  8. bear — the animal
  9. row — a line
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. lie — to recline
  16. face — part of the head
  17. march — music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. march — the month
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. march — the month
  24. lie — an untruth

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