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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.

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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: bowl · racket · chest · lean · rule · branch · mouse · face

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. rule — a law
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — to confront
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rule — government
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. face — to point toward
  19. chest — a box
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. branch — of a bank
  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