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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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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: cap · face · saw · firm · branch · band · mate · ground

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mate — to breed
  3. face — to confront
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ground — crushed
  6. face — part of the head
  7. firm — steady
  8. saw — the tool
  9. firm — a company
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cap — of ice
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. ground — the earth
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ground — a position
  19. branch — a division
  20. band — a ring
  21. firm — decided
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cap — a lid

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