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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: saw · bat · cell · face · stand · plane · branch · mate

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. face — to confront
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cell — a phone
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cell — in biology
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mate — a partner
  16. branch — a division
  17. plane — a tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stand — for spectators

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