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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.

Make a worksheet

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: face · root · march · fine · branch · dip · snap · pitcher

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. branch — a division
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. face — part of the head
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fine — all right
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. root — the cause
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. snap — to click
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fine — high quality
  16. root — of a plant
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — to confront
  22. march — the month
  23. root — of a word
  24. march — music

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