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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.

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: temple · lie · face · hand · branch · chair · tear · staff

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. tear — from crying
  4. hand — in cards
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. face — to point toward
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lie — to recline
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. tear — to rip
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. branch — a division
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. staff — employees
  23. face — to confront
  24. hand — part of the body

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