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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: drill · chest · cabinet · bear · face · can · mug · branch

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mug — a face
  4. can — a tin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. can — to be able to
  12. face — to confront
  13. drill — army training
  14. bear — the animal
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mug — a cup
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. chest — of your body
  20. can — a tin
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chest — a box
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. branch — a division

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